Can't get rid of Fleas

Jefferson · 10-26-2009, 09:32 PM

Hello everyone. I have a 3 year old male yellow lab that goes by the name Axl. He has been on Frontline Plus up until a few months ago when I noticed fleas on him. We had the house fumigated(twice) and washed him with flea shampoo. I took him to a vet and she suggested switching to Advantage. She also gave him a Capstar. He seemed ok for maybe a week. Now they are back. I've tried numerous methods. I switched to k9 Advantix (along with Capstar). We vacume frequently. I heard garlic works but I am reluctant to give it to him as it's considered a poison to dogs in large doses. We don't overwash our dog.

We live near the beach in Southern New Jersey, in the woods. It's ben a rainy, humid, hot season. I'm hoping the first frost will kill the fleas that reside outside. Our Vet said Frontline wasn't working very well in this area.

I feel bad for my dog. I don't know what to do. Should I wait it out? Will it get better once the weather gets colder? I've invested a lot of time and money to make sure my dog is healthy and bug free. Is there something else I should be doing? Does anyone have any advice?

Thanks in advance.

Here's my Buddy!

agility collie mom · 10-27-2009, 05:40 AM

You are not alone. This has been one of the worst flea seasons in a long long time. Have you tried comfortis? It is an oral flea med and we have seen great results at the clinic I work at.

Labsnothers · 10-27-2009, 08:12 AM

I would keep talking to the vet. We are fortunate to live where it is poor flea habitat. When we had an older dog with an existing flea allergy, our vet put her on Revolution. She didn't have any problems in 5 years, but I can't say she was exposed to many fleas.

Most of the last 20 years we have only had one healthy young dog in the house, and done little except an occasional flea spray, Ovitrol, before going around other dogs.

Darkmoon · 10-27-2009, 08:30 AM

Frontline hasn't worked worth of anything this year. No one I know has had any luck with it.

Capstar is great, but it only last 3 or 4 days then you have to give them another dose. I keep some around so when I first see the fleas I can give the do gone, then bath, then treat the house. I haven't tried this on my house, but I've heard a few that have had good results with it. Sometimes the simplest stuff is the best: http://www.ehow.com/how_4561018_flea...soda-salt.html

TxRider · 10-27-2009, 01:17 PM

I used to use oils diluted in a rinse like pennyroyal when I lived in flea central on the gulf coast, fleas hated it. Pennyroyal is toxic so you may not want to use it, and be careful with concentration if you do. But some others are less so or non toxic.

Basically a repellent they hate that keeps them off the dog. Many things can help.

Here's a decent article on some things that might help.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Susta...a-Control.aspx

lizbethc38 · 10-28-2009, 06:59 AM

When we bought our house in Miami,the yard was infested with fleas from all of the outdoor dogs next door on two sides. Our puppy, Muggsy, was also infested with fleas when we got him. His early exposure to fleas has caused him to have an allergy to flea bites that is off the charts. In the beginning, he scratched constantly & was a mess from hot spots. I had used Advantix & fed him Iams. Doh

Then I saw the light

FL is year round bug central. I don't use pesticides. I have a flea free dog. Yes, it is possible

Muggsy's friends all get monthly spot ons & their yards are treated with pesticides. They still have fleas & other itchies.
To get Muggsy flea-free initially took a lot of elbow grease, but it is possible & totally worth it. Once you have your environment under control, it's not so much work.
A three pronged approach is necessary.. yard, house & dog (inside & out)
A dog with a healthy immune system is not attractive to fleas, or so I've been told. I feed Muggsy organic food & bottled water. I bathe Muggsy with an herbal shampoo/conditioner (from onlynaturalpet.com) & use an herbal bug repellent (Ackermans) on him. I've even stopped needing the spray repellent.
I flea comb him EVERY time we come back from being outside. I keep a bowl of soapy water at the ready. This entire summer, I've only combed 2 fleas off of him. Really!
Give your dog a bath with plain old Dawn dishwashing soap (the blue original one) or a good organic shampoo. Lather him up & leave it on for 10 minutes or so. Then flea comb while shampoo is still on, then rinse.
Green Light, Safer, and Concern are some brands of yard & house sprays. You can google 'organic pest control' to find options. I spray the lawn & bushes every few weeks in the summer. I keep the areas around the foundation of the house clear & sprinkle cedarcide along the foundation. I use Concern along the baseboards & backs of cabinets inside.
Food grade diatomaceous earth (DE) is useful. Onlynaturalpet has one mixed with herbs that is good to sprinkle in a pet's bedding. I cover Muggsy's beds with sheets &/or towels that I change every day & wash all of his bedding in hot water weekly. His mattress has cedar chips in it. You can actually even rub the onlynaturalpet DE right in the fur, but I haven't tried that.
I've heard that borax works also. I see you have carpeting. Sprinkle DE or borax on the carpeting & cloth furniture, let it stay(overnight if possible) & then vacuum.
Yes, I work & still find time to have fun too lol
Good luck!

canteloupe · 10-28-2009, 07:23 AM

I second the diatomaceous earth (only food grade!) suggestion. You can get 6 pounds on ebay for 18.50 with free shipping. You put in all over the carpets, work it in with a broom, leave it for a day, then vacuum it up. Alternately, you can use borax which is in the laundry detergent aisle at the grocery store (it's also good for laundry).

Also check out the shampoos and sprays at onlynaturalpet.com.

And definitely don't be afraid of garlic. At high doses it may be toxic, so don't give your dog cloves or anything -- just check out the supplements you can get online. For instance, brewer's yeast and garlic tablets, PetGuard yeast and garlic wafers, Grrr-lick, etc.

Cracker · 10-28-2009, 08:59 AM

Lots of good advice, just one more thing:

Lots of people do a house/dog treatment and then see fleas again in a couple of weeks or a month or so..this is NORMAL as the treatments you use do not kill the pupae stage (they are pretty bombproof at this stage) and you will see what LOOKS like a reinfestation that is actually just the hatching of the pupaes that did not die off in the initial treatments. If you used products that have residual effects (and the advantage) the fleas you now see should die off on their own. Spot on products do not REPEL fleas, the fleas still hop on, come in contact with the product and die..so seeing a flea on your dog does not necessarily mean a full infestation. Products with pyrethrins affect the development of the flea larvae into adults are an effective way to prevent the life cycle from continuing.

TxRider · 10-28-2009, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cracker

Lots of good advice, just one more thing:

Lots of people do a house/dog treatment and then see fleas again in a couple of weeks or a month or so..this is NORMAL as the treatments you use do not kill the pupae stage (they are pretty bombproof at this stage) and you will see what LOOKS like a reinfestation that is actually just the hatching of the pupaes that did not die off in the initial treatments. If you used products that have residual effects (and the advantage) the fleas you now see should die off on their own. Spot on products do not REPEL fleas, the fleas still hop on, come in contact with the product and die..so seeing a flea on your dog does not necessarily mean a full infestation. Products with pyrethrins affect the development of the flea larvae into adults are an effective way to prevent the life cycle from continuing.

Good point, I forgot about having to keep it up for a long time until you get rid of the whole life cycle before you see good results.

Been too long since I lived in flea central down by the coast.

I treated carpets, vacuumed constantly, and used essential oils in a rinse to keep them off the dog. It worked well for me used all together. I only ever fogged a house once, and never treated the yard.

It was always a constant struggle though, that never let up. Dallas is so nice in comparison. I could never get away with the little I do here if I was down south of Houston still.

MoosMom · 10-28-2009, 07:24 PM

Something else that may help to repel is a shampoo with cedar oil in it. Also toxic to fleas but safe for us. You can Put some cedar shavings in his bedding as well. Smells good and repels. I use a product by Kelco called Filthy animal, You can get a sample size on ebay usually.

TxRider · 10-30-2009, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MoosMom

Something else that may help to repel is a shampoo with cedar oil in it. Also toxic to fleas but safe for us. You can Put some cedar shavings in his bedding as well. Smells good and repels. I use a product by Kelco called Filthy animal, You can get a sample size on ebay usually.

Yup I've used cedar chips in bedding as well with seemingly good result.

Never tried cedar oil on the dog though. Can't see why a rinse of it wouldn't be helpful though.

canteloupe · 10-30-2009, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TxRider

Yup I've used cedar chips in bedding as well with seemingly good result.

Never tried cedar oil on the dog though. Can't see why a rinse of it wouldn't be helpful though.

Oh, please be careful when you give out this advice. If the person buys pure cedar essential oil and then rinses their dog with it, it could kill the dog. You have to be very careful and learn about dilution first.

Schellenberger (sp?) reminded me of this a while ago, when I posted something similar.